And I thought I was done smearing nut butters on foliage after I graduated first grade. We enjoy crafts at our house, but so far I felt fortunate that we had avoided the type that involved a blurry mix of materials that can be eaten and materials that can’t.
My luck ran out, though, when Special Agent Oso recently had a “secret mission” in which he helped the precocious “Brianna” construct a bird feeder by combining a snack and ground debris. Someone should have done a better job at keeping this mission “secret” from my kids, because ever since they watched the episode, there has been a burning desire, and loud insistence that they too spread the bird love…and the peanut butter. Here’s how you can do it too!
Materials
- Pine cone (preferably dry and not too dirty)
- Peanut butter (creamy works best, though crunchy is unarguably the tastiest)
- Bird seed
- Ribbon, twine or fishing line
- Butter knife for spreading
Pry the peanut butter jar from your hungry toddlers’ hands. Spread the pine cone with peanut butter. Sprinkle bird seed all over the pine cone, with a plate underneath to catch the extra seeds. When the pine cone is adequately covered, roll the cone in the remaining seeds on the plate. Tie the twine or fishing line around the top of the cone and hang it from a tree.